Uvi Poznansky is an Israeli-born

Homeis now available on Amazon

Uvi Poznansky is an Israeli-born, California-based author, poet and artist. Her writing and her art are tightly coupled. “I paint with my pen,” she says, “and write with my paintbrush.” She earned her B. A. in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion in Haifa, Israel. Later, she moved to Troy, N.Y. where she earned her M.A. in Architecture. Then, taking a sharp turn in her education, she earned her M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan. In February this year, she published her novel, Apart From Love, which won great acclaim from readers and Amazon Top reviewers.

When her father passed away, Uvi went back home for the traditional Shiva-a, the seven days period of mourning. Perhaps the grief did something to change the way she viewed things, or else it was sitting in that space--my childhood home--in a spot I rarely sat before, discovering it from a new angle, observing how light penetrated the far reaches of this place, how the furniture signified relationships in the family. She drew what she saw on a napkin; wiped her tears with it, and later discarded it.

And what did she see? An earthquake, really, in the aftermath of her father's death. Books falling off the shelves; the lamp swinging like a pendulum; the little side table (in the front) overturned, so he will never lay his pen upon it; and instead of the persian rugs that used to adorn this space once upon a time, I floated blank pages on the floor; pages he will never again use for writing. recreating this scene from memory, she used it for an oil painting called My Father's Armchair, which is the cover image of my new book, Home. The opening poem in the book is inspired by this image:Sucked in by a force, I'm flying through a tunnelThe tunnel of memory that leads me back homeThe past blurs my present, so my vision is doubleWalls of my childhood cave into a dome

From here I can see that home, tiltingAnd falling from place, all the lamps are aflameMy father's empty chair is slowly ascendingTipped by the light, outlining its frameThe book is a tribute for her father, Zeev Kachel, an author, poet and artist. In addition to her poetry and prose, it includes his latest work, his poetry spanning the last two decades of his life. He published three books during his lifetime: a prose book Dams Erupting published in 1957, offering a personal account of events during his captivity in Jordan during Israel’s war of independence in 1948; a poetry book Can We Still Love published in 1961, questioning our capability to give and receive love, having witnessed the inhumanity of two world wars; and a poetry book Beyond The Window, What Day Is It Today, published in 1977, bringing to light an unusual creative collaboration with his daughter, Uvi Poznansky. Now after all these years, Home celebrates once again the spirit—and the action—of father and daughter joining forces.

ReviewWith a great love and compassion, talented Author, Poet, Painter, Sculpture and Architect, Uvi Pozansky took on herself a very complicated project. She translated her dad`s poems and stories, adding beautiful poems she wrote, and her own short stories too. Pozansky is taking us, readers, to her own journey into a talented man`s life, who is no longer with us. The poetry is heart touching, and the stories are fascinating. Uvi draws in words the little and big challenges in life: she is a story teller, while her father is writing his own biography. I highly recommend this book, and give it five stars. Zeev wrote a poem describing what will his paintings and poems would say after he is gone, and his daughter revives his work, bringing it to us, readers, with a very special touch and by his own voice. Zeev`s absence is filled with his work, as he left us a meaningful and a very sensitive touch.A lone wolf/ p. 114When I will no longer be, my paintings will speak for meAnd my poems—When I will no longer be—My absence will speak for meWhen I will no longer be.

Teen Guide to Sex and Relationships

by Matt Posner and Jess C. Scott is an advice book for teenagers to help them care for their bodies and their hearts. Written in question and answer format, Teen Guide covers a wide range of issues that teenagers care about or even worry about but may not be sure about the right person to ask. The authors, Matt (an English teacher and YA novelist who is married) and Jess (a cool nonconformist erotica writer who is single) have young people's safety and happiness in mind as they present a mature understanding of how to navigate the difficult problems of love, friendship, and sexuality. Each author answers each question with a different viewpoint, in a different style, to give readers two options for reading about every topic. Teen Guide is gay-friendly.We have divided the book into a section about sex and a section about relationships, even though we understand that they overlap, for the readers' ease in finding quickly the topics they need to read about. We talk about love and lust, trust and friendship, about sexual decision making and birth control, about good and bad relationships, about forms of sexuality that are not always explained in the mainstream, and we give the best advice we can, trying to consider what teens would want to ask as well as throwing in some stuff they may like to read that they wouldn't have known to ask.We have had to make some controversial calls here and there, taking positions that may not be popular with all readers, but we promise that all the advice we give serves no other agenda than to help the kids who buy the book.Here are two sample sections:

Is it okay to go out with my friend’s ex?JESS:I’ve seen this happen in many cases in real life. I personally would not be comfortable going out with a friend’s ex, though I understand many people don’t feel the same way.If you do get together with your friend’s ex, you need to at the very least let your friend know about it beforehand. Don’t let the news “trickle down” to your friend somehow—it’s embarrassing and ego-denting to find out that way. You might feel awkward in telling your friend about it, but it’ll help if you put yourself in your friend’s shoes finding out from a “secondary source” about you dating their ex.You can let your friend know what it is that you and their ex find attractive about each other, and how you would not like this to affect your bond with your friend (assuming both of you would like the friendship to continue as it was). I have seen close friends break off their friendship because of a girl or boy coming in between them (relationship-wise), which I quite frankly think is not really worth it.Romantic relationships (depending on the intensity) can come and go, but a real friendship between two people is a special thing too. Perhaps you’d have to ask yourself at one point whether it’s more worth it to maintain the friendship with your friend, or to get together with their ex.You could think about the real reason as to why your friend and their ex broke up too. If it’s something that gets on your nerves, the same thing could happen to you sometime later...

MATT:This happens a lot, but there tend to be hurt feelings. This is especially true if your friend’s breakup is very recent. If your attraction to your friend’s ex is the direct cause of the break-up, then the situation will be very painful. If a couple breaks up and a mutual friend moves in on one of them, the chances are that the friendship will not last. If a certain amount of time has passed, it might be okay with your friend, although you might want to respect your friend by having a conversation as soon as possible. Also, if the ex has been through another relationship in between, then it is pretty much okay. This did happen to me, as my ex-girlfriend began dating my friend a year after we were broken up. They both contacted me to talk to me about it, and I gave them my blessing. It was really none of my business, but I was still thankful they did that.If your ex has moved on to your friend, you can’t try to get back together with your ex and still expect to keep your friend. It won’t happen.

How does dieting affect sex?MATT:That depends upon the diet. Diets that give you proper nutrition and leave you feeling satisfied with your meal should not harm your sex life. Diets that leave you hungry, feeling unsatisfied, will decrease sexual interest and sexual pleasure. A person who is dieting in order to please a partner, and is hungry as a result, will probably be angry. In fact, hungry people are often angry in general. I am not a dieting expert, and if you look at my picture, you can tell that I don’t diet at all. However, I know that you need a minimum number of calories per day, that you need a wide range of nutrients, and that you need to feel full. Moderate portions, eliminating the worst foods, and exercise are your best options.Diet pills don’t work. Think logically: if they worked, doctors would recommend them and everyone would use them. Liposuction is dangerous and won’t stop you from gaining back the fat it removes. Having your stomach stapled works, but it is only available to people with severe weight problems. Eat moderately, improve your nutrition, and exercise. Weight-loss companies like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig work for some people.How do supermodels stay thin? Some of them are young and can eat whatever they want. All of them work out intensively. Some of them have nutritionists. Some of them are bulimic and throw up their food. Some of them use drugs to suppress their appetites.Here’s the secret about models and thinness. I have worked with fashion designers (as a college instructor) and I have reason to know. Models are thin because thin women show off the clothing better. Designers like the straight up-and-down lines of a tall woman with no roundness to the hips, breasts, or butt because it is easier to make clothes look good on her. Somehow the tall, thin look has become the American standard of beauty. Too bad. For me, the pinched cheeks, hollow neck, flat chest and butt I see on runways and in fashion magazines are turn-offs.Boys, don’t worry too much about a girl’s weight. I promise you that if she likes you and you like her, then she will feel good when you touch her.Girls, worry about your weight only for health reasons. Not all boys like a girl to be as thin as a supermodel.

JESS:What you eat does affect how you “taste” in terms of bodily fluids. The more water and healthy food you take in, the better/cleaner you taste (it’s a fact).In terms of dieting as in “eating more” or “eating less,” I suppose eating more could make you feel more sluggish during sex (depending on how much you eat, and how soon after you eat that you have sex). Being overweight does affect your libido (i.e. sex drive). Starch and sugar can lead to physical sluggishness also (for better libido and better health, eat non-starchy fruits and vegetables instead).If you’re at a normal weight and go on a diet to become skinnier, I guess this might actually decrease your energy and stamina for sex (unless you “recharge” and have a bite in between your bouts of sexual activity).You shouldn’t aim to be “skinnier” or “curvier” thinking that if your body were a certain body type, you’d enjoy sex more. Sex is enjoyable when you’re physically fit and healthy.There should always be a spark for each partner in a relationship to stay in love and have a great sex life. When you are with your lover, be together mentally as well as physically (and encourage each other to lead healthier lives) and you will enjoy yourself.